Taste Test

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Gazette Thursday July 24, 2014
gazette-news.co.uk
taste test
It’s OK to feed your kids on ready
meals...if you make them yourself
THE VINE
VINE STREET
GREAT BARDFIELD
CM7 4SR
01371 811822
No airs, no graces
– just wonderful
homecooked food
IT WAS a humid night in the
middle of a storm-filled
weekend when I decided to try
the menu at the Vine pub, in
Great Bardfield.
It’s a bit of a trek, but as my
husband and I learned, it was
well worth the visit.
Sitting pretty at the top of
the village, the pub doesn’t
have any airs and graces. It’s
a pub with a dining room,
offering homecooked food at
reasonable prices.
It’s the way the owners offer
this that makes the visit
different.
The dining room, called the
Brown Room, was already
half full by the time we got
there and we were seated
straight away, with the offer
of a drink first.
Unlike other pubs the Vine,
which recently re-opened
following a refurbishment,
has a classic vintage look. The
dining room, separate from
the bar area, is cosy, almost
like you are eating in
someone’s home,.
The menu is varied, with
some dishes you’d expect on a
gastro pub menu and a short
list of specials. It’s also worth
glancing over the wine list,
which owners Steve and
Tanya Mann, who is a wine
expert, have ensured are
mainly organic and come
from boutique vineyards
across Europe.
For starters, I opted for the
Arbroath fishcakes which
were full of flavour and
delicious and served on a bed
of mixed salad leaves.
My husband was more than
happy with his duck rilette,
similar to pate, but tender
meat shredded to form a pate.
Although it was hot outside
I cannot refuse a comforting
lamb dish if it on a menu,
though I had to negotiate for
it with my husband, who
eventually opted for the pork
ribs with Jenga chips and
salad.
My rack of Welsh lamb,
which Steve, who is also the
chef, had bought from the
village butcher that morning,
was served with dauphinoise
potatoes and sugar snap peas.
Pink in the middle, tender
and juicy, it was delicious and
the flavour of the lamb came
through. The dauphinoise
potatoes were incredibly
indulgent and creamy.
My husband’s pork ribs
were melt-in-the mouth
tender and the Jenga chips,
suitably chunky, were
presented like the game in a
small tower.
By the end of two courses
he had to give up on a dessert
but I had to try the spiced
apple pie with cinnamon and
sultanas, encased in
homemade pastry, with
vanilla ice cream. It was
sweet and spicy and a
comforting end to a lovely
meal.
The staff were friendly and
Steve came out to chat to
diners. It was another factor
which made this meal feel like
you’d enjoyed it in someone’s
home.
VANESSA MOON
THE BILL
Arbroath fish cake
Duck rilette
Barbecue ribs with Jenga chips
Rack of lamb
Apple pie with ice cream
£5.75
£6.25
£14.95
£18.50
£4.95
THE VERDICT
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Gazette Thursday July 24, 2014
gazette-news.co.uk
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Not easily
T
As a working mum,
Kerryann Dunlop knows
how tough it can be to
cook from scratch. The secret
is doing it in bulk, the chef and
friend of Jamie Oliver tells
KATE WHITING.
Take her thoughts on smart
shopping, for example: “A value
bag of eight peppers for a pound
may not be perfect or the prettiest
of the bunch, but they taste
exactly the same
as the one pound
each peppers and
they’ll go a hell of
a lot further.”
You won’t catch
her buying those
“pretty little nets”
of three onions
either, when they’re
much better value
loose.
The 30-year-old
mum-of-two knows
better than most
about cooking well,
and on a tight
budget. As one of
Jamie Oliver’s
original Fifteen
apprentices, she
learnt from the best,
and even found herself cooking
for Tony Blair twice (“he
remembered me!”) as a result.
Now, she’s just written her first
cookbook, thanks to her
popularity on Jamie’s Food Tube,
the cooking YouTube channel
Oliver launched last year.
The Family Cook Book is chock
full of delicious and simple
recipes to make for and with kids,
and Dunlop says her secret
weapon is what she calls the
“batch” cook – making loads of
something to
freeze, saving time
later.
Her versatile
hidden vegetable
pasta sauce is a
great example.
One big batch can
be used for pasta
dishes, pizza
sauce, with
meatballs, in
chilli or lasagne,
and even to
make soup.
Dunlop says:
“You can eat
really well on a
strict budget –
that’s the idea I
want to share
with everyone.
“I’m not rich, I’ve got a day job
(she’s a cook at a Montessori
nursery) and two young children
(her daughter’s seven and her son
is nine) and I make my own ready
meals – I don’t buy them.
“I cook loads of stuff at the
weekend, chuck it all in the
here are some people in
this world who are so
full of common sense,
you end up hanging on
their every word, just to
soak up each drop of practical
wisdom spouting from their
mouths. Kerryann Dunlop is
one of those people.

BANANA BREAD
Ingredients
(Makes 20 squares)
190g unsalted
butter, softened,
plus extra for
greasing
450g
self-raising
flour, plus
extra for
dusting
300g caster
sugar
2 large
free-range
eggs
5 medium ripe
bananas, peeled
1/2tsp sea salt
1 whole nutmeg,
for grating
2tsp baking powder
190ml whole milk
1tsp vanilla extract
Method
Preheat the oven to
180C/350F/gas 4.
Grease a 25cm x 35cm
baking dish with butter and
dust it with flour.
Beat the butter and sugar
together until pale and fluffy (I
use an electric hand whisk for
this, but a wooden spoon is
fine – it just takes a little
longer). Whisk in the eggs,
then mash the bananas well
and stir into the mixture, along
with the salt and a few
freezer, then when I come home
after work, I pop something in the
oven and you’ve got a really good
dinner for pennies – and I know
what’s in it.”
Dunlop learned from her own
mum the importance of cooking
“proper” meals for her children:
“She was a single mum. She
never had a husband bringing in
loads of money and it was always
on a budget.
“But she made sure that we ate
well as children. We never had
any of that processed stuff – it
was always good food, cooked
from scratch.
“Mum made something the
other day – pasticcio, a Greek
peasant dish, with macaroni on
the bottom and bolognese sauce
with nutmeg, yoghurt and eggs.
When it sets, you can cut it into
chunks. I was like, ‘Oh my God,
mum, this tastes like my
childhood!’ It was a real
throwback.”
Whereas her mum was a
real “worrier” and would
only allow her daughter
to watch from the
sidelines in the kitchen,
Dunlop has always been
keen for her kids to get
really involved in the
process, so they
appreciate their food even
more.
She says: “On Pancake
Day this year, they made
their own pancakes from
scratch. They made the batter,
tossed them, plated them up –
the only thing I did was oil the
pan and supervise. And you
gratings of nutmeg. Sieve the
flour and baking powder into a
separate bowl, then fold half
of it through the banana
mixture. It may be a little
thick, so whisk in half the
milk to help loosen it
up. Fold through the
remaining flour, then
mix in the remaining
milk and the vanilla
extract.
Pour the banana
mixture into your
prepared dish and
spread it out evenly
with a spatula.
Bake in the hot
oven for about one
hour, or until golden
and cooked through.
Check if it’s ready by
poking a skewer into
the centre – if it comes
out clean, it’s done,
otherwise cover with tin foil
and return to the oven,
checking every five minutes or
so until cooked.
Leave to cool in the dish for
15 minutes, then turn out on
to a wire rack to cool
completely, before slicing up
into squares and serving with
a nice glass of cold milk. Keep
any leftovers in an airtight
container for up to three days.
‘
You can eat
really well on a
strict budget –
that’s the idea I
want to share
with everyone
should have seen the satisfaction
in their eyes.”
She believes we don’t give kids
enough responsibility in the
kitchen (“They’re capable of so
much more than we give them
credit for”) and thinks children
are never too young to start
learning to cook.
She adds: “I do cooking lessons
once a week at nursery and the
one and two-year-olds can slice,
chop, peel and mix. You can’t
have a conversation with them,
but they can make a salad!”
Here are three recipes from
Dunlop’s new book to cook with
– or without – your little ones.
 The Family Cook Book by
Kerryann Dunlop is a Jamie
Oliver Food Tube book, published
by Penguin, priced £7.99.
Available now. Check out
Dunlop’s videos on Jamie’s
Food Tube channel
(youtube.com/
user/JamieOliver)
 My mentor
– Kerryann
Dunlop with
Jamie Oliver
CHILLI CON
VEGGIE
Ingredients
(Serves 10)
2 medium onions, peeled
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 medium leek, trimmed
1 long fresh red chilli
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp ground cumin
2tbsp ground coriander
2tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 a cinnamon stick or
1tsp of ground cinnamon
2tbsp dried oregano
1 whole nutmeg, for
grating
2tbsp tomato puree
250g dried green lentils
250g dried red lentils
2 x 400g tins of red
kidney beans, drained
and rinsed
2 x 400g tins of black
beans, drained and
rinsed
2 x 400g tins of chopped
tomatoes
1.2L organic vegetable
stock
Sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper
Method
Finely chop the onions,
garlic, leek and chilli (I
leave the seeds in, but
deseed if you prefer) and
place into your largest,
heavy-based pan over a
medium heat with the oil.
Fry for about five
minutes, or until
softened. Add the spices,
dried herbs and a good
grating of nutmeg, then
fry for two minutes – if
taste
it’s a little dry at this
point, simply add a
splash of water to help it
out. Stir in the tomato
puree and cook for a
further two minutes.
Stir in the lentils,
beans and chopped
tomatoes, then add the
stock (I try to use
homemade stock, but if
you’ve only got stock
cubes, that’s fine too).
Bring it all to the boil,
then reduce to a low heat
and let it bubble away for
at least one hour, or until
thickened and reduced,
stirring every 15 to 20
minutes, then season to
how you like it.
I like this with rice or
on a jacket potato,
scattered with coriander
leaves and with lime
wedges and a dollop of
soured cream on the
side. This is one of my
all-time favourite
dinners.
Mix the couscous up
with a fork, then stir in the
tomato puree until well
coated (I do this with my
hands – it’s messy, but
quite therapeutic!). Add all
the chopped vegetables,
chilli and herbs and mix
well. Stir in the oil and the
lemon zest and juice, then
season to how you like it.
Serve as a side with
grilled meat or fish. You
can also eat it on its own if
you want a light meal or
snack.
TURKISH
COUSCOUS
SALAD
Ingredients
(Serves 8)
250g couscous
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt and
freshly-ground black
pepper
1 medium red onion,
peeled
1 medium cucumber
2 ripe tomatoes
1 fresh red chilli
1 bunch of fresh mint,
leaves picked
1/2 a bunch of fresh
coriander, leaves picked
1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf
parsley
1tbsp tomato puree
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Zest and juice from half an
unwaxed lemon
Method
Place the couscous,
cumin, paprika and a big
pinch of salt into a bowl.
Stir to combine, then
pour over just enough
boiling water to cover the
couscous. Cover the bowl
and leave for about 10
minutes.
Meanwhile, finely chop
the onion, cucumber,
tomatoes and chilli (I leave
the seeds in, but deseed if
you prefer). Finely chop
the mint and coriander
leaves, and the parsley
(including the stalks).
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